Possibility: Schism
by Mystic83
Summary: Lee Adama never thought being the trophy boyfriend of a pyramid player could make him so happy. NOT LeeAnders... don't be silly! :OP PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTE.


**Author's Note: This is a schism off of Part Twenty-One of my other story (Possibility: Bright, Shiny Future). Lee Adama had a thought about how life might be if the Cylons didn't attack and if he had met Kara outside the military. Same AU rules apply from my other story (Kara didn't hurt her knee, Zak's alive).**

Lee picked his bag up off the floor and stepped off the shuttle to Delphi. The pilot had been so horrible that it was a miracle Lee hadn't jerked the controls away from him and flown the damn ship himself. But if he had done that, everyone would have had questions. _Who was he? Why was he able to fly? What was he doing on Caprica?_ They would find out, and that was exactly what he didn't need to happen.

He let out a sigh and started walking. It was easier to keep a low profile on foot. No one knew about the apartment specifically, but they all knew Kara lived in Delphi during the off-season.

Kara Thrace.

Now there was a face he didn't mind popping into his head. It had been three months since he last saw her and the time apart was excruciatingly long. He had been busy with some important things on Atlantia in the meantime. Because in the end, the torture of not being with her was going to pay off.

Lee reached down to pick a pyramid ball off the street and hand it back to the child who had lost it. The little girl smiled at him as a thank you, and for a second, Lee thought she might recognize him. The tabloids had had his picture splayed across them only a few months earlier when Kara had surprised him for his birthday. Lee breathed a sigh of relief when the little girl just mumbled thank you and ran back to the neighborhood court.

Lee could remember the day the pilots on Atlantia first found out he was dating Kara Thrace, the best pyramid player on the C-Bucks. They had gone crazy, coming up with new ways to torture him. His squad even went as far as to plaster the latest article in the _Caprican Enquirer_ on the bunkroom walls. The whole ship teased him without mercy.

They still do even after a year.

Lee would react the same way every time. He would simply stand up and walk over to his locker. Opening the door, his eyes would rest on the picture of Kara taped to the inside. She had given it to him after the first time he met her. She had claimed it was so he wouldn't forget his first time fraking a professional pyramid player. Lee knew it was her way of covering up what she was really feeling.

That was why he called the number on the back of the photo the next time he was on his home planet. There had been relief and excitement in her voice when he told her it was Lee. She hadn't forgotten him which matched perfectly the way _he_ hadn't been able to get _her _out of his head.

He had taken this picture with him every time he stepped into the cockpit of a Viper. Kara was his good luck charm.

The pilots teased him about that, too. Lee didn't care. With the teasing of his fellow shipmates in the background, he would simply point to the picture of Kara and smile before going back to whatever he had been doing. He never said a word. He never had to. The pilots knew exactly what he was trying to tell them.

If you're dating a girl like Kara Thrace, it doesn't matter what anyone says or thinks because you're fraking dating Kara Thrace.

Lee's hands came up to check the bag he had on his shoulder. He had made a stop on Picon to see his brother and had ended up with this lovely little burden. Lee had no idea how Zak had talked Kara into it, but apparently she was signing every pyramid ball in the Twelve Colonies so Zak could give them to the orphans living in the group home down the street from him. At first Lee couldn't understand why his wild baby brother was doing something so selfless. Then Zak started talking about his new girlfriend, the social worker and child's rights activist, and it all made sense.

Smirking, Lee let out a small chuckle as he continued through the streets of Delphi. He was still rather indebted to his brother so carrying a bag load of pyramid balls didn't bother him. After all, Zak had unknowingly given Lee the opportunity to meet Kara, and that was a favor Lee would never be able to repay.

It had been some stupid function with the mandatory black tie and everything. Zak promised the cute girl with the apartment a floor below him that he would take her to it. Then at the last minute, he was called to help with the damaged Vipers being shipped in as Atlantia went planetside for repairs. Zak had put two and two together and charmed his newly arrived brother into covering for him at the black tie event.

Kara was there as part of a public relations commitment to the team. She had to attend a certain number of these things every year.

They met when they both tried to charm a beer out of the 'fine liquor only' bar. Then they bonded over the idea of a tall glass of Oasis ale. It took a little flirting from Kara and a few extra cubits tip from Lee, but they got their drinks. Lee had thanked Kara for doing her part and was about to walk away when he felt a hand on his arm. He could still see her mischievous smile and hear the husky, confident tone of her voice.

"_Aren't you going to stay and enjoy the spoils of victory with me?"_

He had stayed. They had talked. Drinks had been handed to them, and before he knew it, Lee was taking Kara back to Zak's apartment. He felt a little guilty using his brother's place like this, but he knew Zak wasn't going to be coming back until the next morning and it seemed like he had no self control or common sense where Kara was involved.

Kara made it clear that he was going to be all over the tabloids if he stepped one foot outside the benefit with her, but Lee simply pushed her into one of the out of the way nooks and gave her a kiss that made her knees go week. Some things were worth having a little discomfort later.

The kiss seemed to do the job because Kara practically dragged him out of the conference hall the event was in.

Lee made the last turn onto the Delphian street where her apartment was. His eyes caught on a young woman playing catch with her son. It reminded him that he was eventually going to have to let his mother know he was on Caprica. He figured after a few days, he could convince Kara to come out of hiding long enough so they could pay Caroline Adama a small visit.

It was crazy how much his mother liked Kara. The two women had clicked the second they met.

Lee smirked. His mother had even started attending every Bucks home game, as ridiculous as that sounded. Caroline was notorious within her family for hating the sport and its subliminal teaching that violence was appropriate.

Those were her words, not Lee's. Lee had always loved the sport.

It had been a shock to Lee when his mother wasn't instantly upset that he was dating one of those violent pyramid players. Even more surprising was when Caroline told him she had purchased season tickets.

He asked her about it the next time he saw her in person, and what she said cemented his love for her.

"_Well, gods, Lee! You're so fraking crazy in love with this Kara Thrace woman that I decided to see what all the hype was about."_

The idea that his mother had given up her hatred of pyramid just so she could meet her son's new girlfriend always served to put a smile on Lee's face.

The gate to the fenced-in apartment complex creaked as he pushed it open. Kara said this was the reason she liked the area so much. The gate was the only way to get in, and it required a key. If someone tried to force their way in, there'd be enough noise to warrant a visit from the Delphi Marines. It was here that Kara could finally be anonymous.

And since she had let him into her life, this place kept Lee anonymous, too.

Lee's eyes rested on a large metal sculpture in the middle of the courtyard. It was the one and only piece like it that Kara had ever created. He bent down to run his fingers along the plaque at the bottom.

_For all the lives lost in the Second Cylon War and for the hearts of the men and women who fought bravely for a freedom that we have long take for granted_

Kara had created this sculpture during the sixty-three days of fighting it took the Twelve Colonies to beat back the Cylons for good. There had been many lives lost, but in the end, they had won.

His gaze followed a path around each of the welded pieces of the sculpture until it rested on his favorite part. Kara had taken her last Colonial Championship trophy from when the Bucks had won two years earlier and ripped off the metal pyramid ball that stood on top. She attached it to the highest point of the sculpture and created a large metal phoenix out of the remaining pieces of her trophy. It looked identical to the patches every member of the Colonial Fleet wore on the left upper arm of their flight suits.

Lee would have been worried about Kara throwing herself so deeply into her art if it wasn't for one thing. Imbedded in the chest of the phoenix was a colonial-issue dog tag. It was the one Lee had given her after the first time they talked about how dangerous his job could be. Kara had been scared to let him go so Lee left her the tag as a promise that he was always going to come back.

Welding it to the top of her statue let him know this sculpture was less about dealing with the second Cylon War and more about dealing with the realistic fact that she could lose him.

She had used him as a reason to stay cooped up in her Delphi apartment away from the fallout of the attacks. He had kept her safe.

Lee had given Kara a reason to keep herself out of harm's way, and Kara had given him a reason to keep fighting. He knew that every Cylon he took down was one less machine that could hurt Kara. He dedicated himself to doing what he could to protect her. She was his reason to get up in the morning.

Standing up, Lee tightened his grip on his bag and started walking through the corridor. Kara's apartment was at the end. It was the only one with a view facing the River of Pythia and the surrounding forests.

His hand paused in the middle of the air as he went to knock. There was a small fear forming in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't thought this far ahead when he accepted the offer made by his commanding officer on Atlantia.

It seemed Admiral Nagala had been working with the military's liaison within the Colonial government. They were developing a new training program for Fleet pilots involving more tactile training. They needed qualified pilots to take on the teaching positions.

When the Admiral told Lee it would mean him moving back to Caprica, he jumped at the chance. He was tired of living on a big metal rock in the sky, especially when that rock kept him away from Kara.

Smiling, Lee felt the nerves sink away and decided against knocking. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. It had been a big deal when Kara gave him the one to her apartment and the gates outside. He knew for a fact that she only told a handful of people about this place, and the fact that after only a few months she trusted him enough to let him in on the secret always put a smile on his face.

The door creaked open, and Lee looked down the stairs to see Kara in front of her easel. She had paint smudges all over her. Lee smiled. She always did get pretty focused when it came to her painting.

The door clicked shut behind Lee, but Kara didn't even turn. "Make yourself at home, Sam. It's going to be a while," she called over her shoulder.

Lee grinned. He was suddenly extremely glad he had taken the time to call her best friend ahead of time. He didn't want Anders showing up to ruin his little surprise.

Smirking, Lee leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. He loved watching her paint. The whole world melted away when she was creating. Nothing short of a third Cylon war could interrupt that kind of concentration. Good thing Lee knew the one thing besides all-out war that could make her forget about the urge to create.

Lee watched her brush sweep across the canvas. There was always such a soothing rhythm to the way she painted. He had spent hours off to the side, just observing. It was in that moment that he knew he had made the right choice. She was the only thing he wanted.

"You better have brought those cookies you promised me," Kara yelled.

"I must have forgotten," Lee said.

He watched her shoulders tense as she realized it wasn't Anders. She set down her paintbrush with shaky hands and turned to look at him.

"Hi," he said, giving her a wink.

"What are you-" Kara cut herself off. She didn't care what he was doing here.

Lee had just enough time to brace himself from falling over before she launched herself into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist as she leaned in to rain kisses all over him. It had been a long three months.

Kara laughed as she pulled back to see there was now green paint smeared all over her boyfriend's face from where her hands had just been. "I can't believe you're here," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him one more time.

Lee didn't say anything in return. He just continued to stare at the way Kara's smile lit up her whole face. He had made that happen. The gleam in her eyes was all him, too.

"Now that you're here, we can try out what your brother sent me for my birthday."

"Your birthday's not for a few weeks."

Kara shrugged. "I think he got it on sale." She started to push past him to walk up the stairs, but Lee grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back down to his side.

"I don't want to move," he said, pulling her into his arms again.

Kara smiled and leaned in to drop a kiss on the end of his nose. "I missed you, too, baby, but I'm dying to try out the motorcycle. Zak keeps hinting that you used to be big on riding before you got into the military, and I want to see it in action."

"You know if I take you out on that thing, we're going to get hounded by reporters within minutes."

"When aren't we?" Kara shot back with a laugh. "When you and I are together, we're the hottest selling story on Caprica. The pretty flyboy and his hard-headed pyramid girlfriend.

"The arrogant pyramid player and her levelheaded pilot boyfriend who I'm pretty sure is just there for the photo ops."

Kara buried her head in Lee's shoulder as the laughter took over. Lee really loved quoting the headlines about their relationship. Next he'd be talking about how she had asked him to give up the military in order to be her live-in boy toy. That was the latest gossip.

"I'll take you out on your new toy soon. I promise." Lee said as he pulled away. He kneeled down to rummage through his bag. "There's something I want to do first."

"I can sign those balls for Zak later," Kara insisted.

Lee's hand finally caught what he wanted and he stood up, slipping the box into his pocket. "That wasn't what I was looking for."

"Forget what you were looking for," Kara said, coming up behind him. Her hands roamed his chest freely for a moment before settling on the waistband of his pants. "I have missed you, Lee Adama."

Lee shut his eyes and concentrated really hard on why he should be stopping her right now. "I was offered a transfer, Kara," he blurted out. That stopped her hands from moving even lower, just like he thought it would.

"Where?"

Lee felt something pull at his heart. He had never realized one word could have so much pain and fear in it. She was scared that he was being taken away from her. "Don't worry. I'm not going far," Lee reassured her. He twisted around so that he was staring her in the face. "In fact, it's the kind of transfer a person in my situation jumps at."

"What do you mean 'your situation'?"

"I love you, Kara. I don't think I say that half as much as I should." He reached out to grab her hands in his and hoped he could pull this off without screwing up. He had a bad habit of putting his foot in his mouth where Kara was concerned. "I know that what we have shouldn't work. A Viper pilot shouldn't fall in love with a professional pyramid player. We shouldn't have the time or patience to form a real relationship through all the tabloid headlines and fictitious stories. Yet somehow we did. Somehow you found a way to make me happier than I ever thought I had the right to be."

"Lee?" Kara whispered. Her brow was furrowed in concern as she tried to figure out where he was going with this.

"You're my whole world, Kara. I love you." Lee grabbed the box out of his pocket and opened it up for her to see. "And now I'm asking you if you'll let me love you for the rest of your life. Will you marry me, Kara?"

Kara's eyes went wide as she looked down at the ring. It was a simple sapphire stone on a silver band, nothing special and completely unconventional for the purpose Lee was given it. Yet something in heart was telling her it was perfect. "You're out of your mind," Kara spit out as her eyes came up to meet Lee's once more.

"I know it's not going to be easy, but I know we can do this. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Kara, and I will do anything to make you feel the same way."

Kara shook away the tears forming in her eyes. "I can't believe you want this."

"What's so hard to believe?" Lee said. He pulled the ring out of the box and held it out to her. "You're the one thing that makes sense in my life these days. I don't want to lose that."

"You're not going to lose me," Kara insisted. "You don't have to marry me in order to guarantee that."

"You're right," Lee said. "I have to marry you because I don't think I can live without you. I don't want to wake up another morning without you. I don't want to spend another day, wondering where you are or what you're doing. I want to go to sleep with you in my arms. I want to be able to ignore those stupid tabloids because nothing that feels this right can ever be wrong. Please, Kara, marry me."

Kara let her hands fall from where she had been clutching them to her stomach. Her hand was shaking as she held it out for Lee to take. "You're the only thing that makes sense for me, too."

Lee wasn't sure he could smile any wider, but when he saw her eyes glimmer with tears as he slipped the ring onto her finger, that's exactly what he did. "So I take that as a yes?"

"Yes, Lee, I'll marry you," Kara whispered. She didn't want there to be any confusion.

"Good. Because I'm moving to Caprica and I need a place to stay."

Kara's eyes went wide as his words sunk in. "You're moving to Caprica?"

"I told you I got a transfer." Lee shook his head. "Did you think I was going to propose to you and then run off to the ends of the galaxy with the Fleet?"

"I don't know," Kara admitted.

Lee reached out to pull her into his arms. "I would never do something like that to you, Kara. You are, and you will always be, my top priority. Keeping you happy is my new mission in life."

"It's not that hard," Kara whispered, her breath tickling the side of his face as she leaned in to kiss him. "You just have to make sure you're no more than two feet away from me, and I'll stay happy."

"That can be arranged," Lee said, tilting her chin up so he could give her one of those long, sweet kisses they had been perfecting over the past year. His hand slid into hers as if it was the most natural thing to do, and he turned to look at her half-finished painting. "So tell me what this one's about."

Kara smiled at him and started explaining how she was trying to capture the way the stars looked on a midsummer night. It was moments like this that she cherished the most. Lee was the only person who ever made her feel normal.

They were going to have one hell of a life together.

The flyboy and the Buccaneer.

"I love you, Lee," Kara said, pulling his attention away from the painting and back to her. She tugged on his arm until he followed her to the bed that was up against the one wall. She really had missed him, and now more than ever she wanted to show him.

Lee let her pull him down beside her on the bed, but instead of pushing her down against the mattress like he normally would have, his hands came up to pull her in close to him.

Kara let out a sigh as she rested her head against his chest. "We have all the time in the world," she whispered.

"I know," Lee said, planting a small kiss on the top of her head.

Kara held her hand up in the air. "I can't believe you asked me to marry you."

"I can't believe you said yes," Lee admitted.

"We're going to have to work on the confidence thing after we get married," Kara pointed out.

"That can be arranged."

Kara yawned and wrapped her arm around his waist. "So, tell me everything about this new job. I want to be able to brag to the team next time I see them about what my husband does for a living."

Lee started telling her about the teaching job he had accepted. Before long, the fatigue set in. He had walked five miles to get here, and he was fairly certain that Kara had been up all night painting so it was no wonder, no matter how much they wanted to do otherwise, they both drifted off to sleep.

His dreams were filled with future memories of what their lives would be, and when they both woke up a few hours later, he did his best to turn them into reality. Their lovemaking was slow and sleepy, but Lee felt more awake than he had ever been. When Kara drifted back to sleep, Lee let himself memorize every inch of her smooth skin that was now his to love for the rest of his life. Sleep came over him quietly.

When Lee woke up again in the middle of the night to see the moonlight falling onto her face, everything fell into place. He had been discontented with his life for so long. Lifting her hand up to his lips, he realized with a gentle kiss that he finally understood his purpose. This wonderfully beautiful woman was his forever. Lee would never figure out how he got that lucky.

Kara shivered in her sleep, and Lee leaned down to draw the blanket up over their bodies. She let a small sigh of content and murmured, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Kara," Lee said, shutting his eyes again. "Forever and always, I love you."

The way his heart caught in his chest at those words told him it was the truth. They were going to be okay. They had made it through the second Cylon War and about as much bad press as a person could handle. They were still together.

"I promise things are going to be all right from now on," Lee whispered as he fell back into the comfort that was being with Kara Thrace.


End file.
